


turn the world to gold

by lotts (LottieAnna)



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Pining, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Soulmarks, Summer, Sunrises, hometown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 10:25:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11311449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LottieAnna/pseuds/lotts
Summary: Mitch: hey ill be in az 2morrow, what r u doing?





	turn the world to gold

**Author's Note:**

> IF YOU FOUND THIS THROUGH GOOGLING, KNOW ANYONE MENTIONED IN THIS STORY PERSONALLY, OR ARE MENTIONED YOURSELF: please, please click away. This is a work of fiction and nothing written in this story is true. Any accurate information used in this story is publicly available information about public figures, the rest is made up, 100%
> 
> Of course, this story wouldn't be what it is without the people who helped me tame it, so thank you to ftc, tots, and thealidoyle for pointing out every time I typed MItch instead of Mitch and other grammar errors, helping me title this fic, and assuring me this makes sense and helping it make even more sense, respectively. Title is from QUEEN Carly Rae Jepsen's "Run Away With Me." Real schedules (besides the June 13th Jays game) are totally and completely disregarded.
> 
> [The tweet that inspired this all.](https://twitter.com/AM34/status/875066017399091200)

_ Mitch: hey ill be in az 2morrow, what r u doing?  _

Auston blinks down at his phone. Mitch has no reason to be in Arizona beside visiting Auston, as far as Auston knows, and that’s the kind of thing Auston would know. Mitch also has a ton of other friends, who he doesn’t get to see much during the season, which is something Auston’s reminded himself of several times when trying to justify how long he’s going to have to go without seeing Mitch. 

Which is, apparently, not that long. 

Instead of answering via text, Auston calls. 

“Hey, what’s up?” Mitch says. 

“You’re coming to Arizona?” Auston asks. 

“Yep,” Mitch says cheerfully. “Flying in tonight, staying at a hotel.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’ll pick you up, you can stay with us,” says Auston. “You should’ve told me before.” 

“I didn’t want to bother you,” Mitch says. “And don’t pick me up. My flight doesn’t get in until like, midnight.” 

Auston rolls his eyes, even though Mitch can’t see. “I’m going to pick you up.” 

“Alright,” Mitch says. 

“Are you at the airport already?” Auston asks. 

“Yep, at the gate,” Mitch confirms. “I should probably hang up.” 

“See you in a couple hours,” Auston says. 

* * *

Auston’s words had come in when he was ten, and said  _ take my hand  _ in simple block letters.

His mom had warned him not to think too much about the words themselves, because no one ever pictured them the right way, but Auston had always figured his soulmate would be offering him their hand, and he’d always told himself that he would take it. 

Except of course it didn’t happen like that. Because his soulmate was singing along to someone else’s words, and Auston’s soulmark was a fucking built-in Bon Jovi tattoo. He wasn’t even looking at Mitch when he realized it, just heard his voice and felt himself feel overwhelmed by warmth and fondness and something more, and he didn’t even process that those were his words, and that that was his moment, until later on, in the locker room, when his eyes caught on his wristguard. 

Auston didn’t know what to say to Mitch, so he didn’t, because Mitch didn’t seem to know yet, didn’t seem like he was into guys at all, and that made worry bubble up in Auston sometimes. Still, he would look at Mitch’s smile and feel the butterflies in his stomach grow as the season progressed, and he would think,  _ someday.  _

* * *

“Hi,” Mitch says, bright and cheerful as always, even though it’s past midnight and he just got off a plane.

“Hey,” says Auston. “Still waiting on bags?” 

Mitch shakes his head, and Auston eyes the small duffel Mitch is carrying, and wonders if this is an impulsive vacation, or if Mitch is like, fleeing Canada. Still, he bites his tongue and walks Mitch to his car. 

Auston doesn’t usually drive the two of them, and Mitch makes a joke about it before he nods off in the passenger’s seat. Auston’s eyes flick to Mitch’s wristguard, and wonders if that has something to do with his sudden appearance in Arizona, but he hasn’t actually spoken to Mitch, doesn’t even know what Mitch’s words– the words Auston will say, but they’re Mitch’s– are going to be. What they already are, actually, because Mitch knows, just doesn’t know who will say them or how. 

Which is probably for the best. Wristguards exist for a reason, and Auston doesn’t want to know, so he’s content to just keep saying the words he’s always said until Mitch hears the ones he needs. 

Mitch wakes up when they get to Auston’s house. 

“Sorry,” he says. 

“What for?” asks Auston. 

“Uh, falling asleep, and also this whole thing?” Mitch says. 

Auston smirks. “So polite. You can take the boy out of Canada, but you can’t take the Canada out of the boy.” 

“You don’t want to,” Mitch says, smiling sleepily, and it’s one moment on a long list of little things that take Auston’s breath away, or whatever.

Auston’s a very patient man. 

“It’s true, you’re way too fucking nice,” Auston says. “C’mon, my mom didn’t have time to set up the guest room, but I can take the couch.” 

“No,” Mitch says. “You live here, it’s fine.” 

“You’re my guest,” Auston points out.

“You wanted to be home for the summer,” Mitch counters. “I mean, sleeping in your own bed– that’s a part of it, right?”

Auston blinks at him and nods. “I guess.” 

“So I take the couch, it’s settled,” Mitch says. 

“I mean,” Auston says. “We can share.”  

Mitch gives him a thoughtful look before saying, “Yeah, sure.”  

They get out of the car and quietly walk up the driveway and into the house, and Auston sees Mitch looking around. 

“Is that… a cactus?” Mitch says. 

“Yeah,” Auston says. “It’s the desert.” 

“I don’t even think I knew cactuses were real,” says Mitch. “I mean, I did, but– wow. This looks like a movie.” 

Auston smiles a bit. “Yeah, but I promise it’s real,” he says. 

They don’t say anything more, because they walk into the house and it’s dark and quiet and Auston’s entire family is asleep. Auston carries Mitch’s bag upstairs for him, and is about to let him know that he can like, shower or whatever, but Mitch is already in just his t-shirt and a pair of boxers, plugging in his phone. 

“Should I set alarms?” he asks. 

Auston shrugs. “You should sleep,” he says. 

Mitch nods, and starts to move over to one side of the bed, but then pauses and looks at Auston, wordlessly asking him to choose. 

Auston doesn’t really care, but he figures he should take the outside, because he’s probably gonna be up before Mitch anyway, so he nods in the direction of the wall. 

Mitch scooches over before he turns onto his side, and Auston ducks into his bathroom and actually gets ready for bed. By the time he comes back to his room, Mitch is heavily asleep. Auston belatedly realizes that Riley is under the covers, but Mitch doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would make fun of his friend for having a stuffed animal, and anyway, it’s his childhood home, he’s allowed some nostalgia. 

It’s warmer under the covers than usual, because Mitch is there, and it takes everything in Auston not to reach out and hold him. Instead, he cautiously kicks around until he feels the familiar hard plastic of Riley’s nose, then carefully extracts her from the tangle of sheets at the foot of the bed. 

He squeezes her tight as he stares at the back of Mitch’s head. 

* * *

The first time Mitch had touched Auston after he’d realized, he’d recoiled, and the look of fear and worry on Mitch’s face afterwards hurt.

“Everything good, man?” Mitch had asked. 

“Yeah, sorry, just a weird bruise,” Auston had replied. 

It was in the locker room, but Auston had already thrown on a shirt, thankfully, so Mitch didn’t have to see whether or not there was anything there. 

“Oh, sorry man,” he’d said. 

Auston felt guilty touching Mitch for a few weeks, still, because it felt like stealing affection from someone who wasn’t his yet. But he couldn’t help it, and he didn’t want Mitch to think something was wrong, so he’d tried to let the touches feel like they had before Auston had realized. 

Nothing really changed, though. 

* * *

Auston wakes up the next morning with Mitch wrapped around him.

Riley got caught in the middle of it, which is kind of adorable, except she’s kind of pressing into his back in a way that will probably leave a small bruise. 

Being cuddled by Mitch is... interesting. 

Auston’s never been as cuddly with friends as Mitch, but he certainly doesn’t mind it, and when it’s not too hot and his arm isn’t falling asleep, he finds it comfortable and comforting. He’s not an unaffectionate person, just shyer than other guys when it comes to asking for it. Cuddling reminds him of being a kid, of being hurt and crying and having his mom run her hands through his hair and tell him he’s okay, or of happy teammates and bright smiles and goals and wins and celebrations. All good stuff. 

On the other hand, this isn’t like normal cuddling, because it’s Mitch, and he’s in love with Mitch in a sappy romantic soulmate way, but he also just kind of wants to bone him. It’s not like, unbearable– Auston’s been attracted to teammates before– but every time Mitch touches him sort of sets him on fire, makes his mind go  _ more more more,  _ and he usually has to consciously prevent his fingers from drifting everywhere. 

Also, Auston has to pee, and he doesn’t want to wake Mitch up, 

After a second of taking in the feeling of being totally surrounded by Mitch and committing it to memory, Auston carefully extracts himself from Mitch. Thankfully, Mitch is either a very heavy sleeper or thoroughly exhausted, so he doesn’t wake up at all, even when Auston shoves him over completely. 

He does keep an arm around Riley, and Auston allows himself to take a picture, because really, that’s too cute. 

This summer’s been weird in a lot of ways, but mostly pretty awesome, because at some point, Auston became an honest-to-god morning person. Maybe travelling and the exhaustion of the NHL season shifted his sleep schedule, because his first night in Arizona he went to bed at 10:30 and woke up at 6 the next morning. 

It’s nothing short of a miracle, in all honesty, especially because it means that Auston hasn’t had to set an alarm in a while, which makes his mornings a zillion times better. It’s not even 7 by the time Auston’s out of bed and changed into running clothes. 

Auston doesn’t know how he grew up in Arizona without ever learning to love the desert’s sunrise. He’s done so many early mornings, but none quite as beautiful as the one here, with the sky all sorts of shades of pink and blue set behind red and gray rocks. His camera roll, as of recently, is pretty much just pictures of that, trying and failing to capture it time and time again. A picture can’t breathe the special sunrise air, can’t capture the light so bright it makes tears prickle at the corners of Auston’s eyes. There’s a difference between knowing the sun moves across the sky and actually seeing the light around him change, watching the world slowly shift colors.

Until now, mornings had been something to get through, something before the day, but now, they’re as special to him as dusk had been back when he was a young teenager. It’s better, somehow, because back then he’d driven around with his friends knowing that at the end of the sunset was darkness, but now, he knows that after this is an entire day. 

An entire day with  _ Mitch.  _

Auston legitimately doesn’t think about Mitch while he runs, but he thinks about him as soon as he stops.

When Auston is back in his room, tired and sweaty and happy, Mitch is still asleep. Riley’s tucked under his arm, and Auston’s heart might physically hurt from how sweet it is. 

He’s quiet as he showers and gets dressed, and even though they share a locker room together and Mitch is asleep, Auston ducks into his bathroom to change. 

Mitch wakes up around 10, as Auston’s fucking around on Instagram. 

“Morning,” Mitch says groggily. 

“Hey,” Auston says. “What’s up?” 

“Food,” Mitch says, and Auston can hear his stomach grumble from across the room. 

Mitch showers, and Auston can hear him singing from his bedroom. He’d chirp him for it, except that if he did, Mitch might not do it again, and even though he’s an awful singer, Auston doesn’t want him to stop. Especially considering he’s singing Bon Jovi. 

Auston ducks into the bathroom when Mitch comes out, dripping wet and a towel low on his hips, because he needs a second to take a breath. The bathroom is still steamy, and the clothes Mitch had worn to bed are strewn on the ground, which doesn’t really help at all. Still, Auston washes his hands and tries to not think about Mitch naked. 

It’s not easy, but when he comes out, Mitch looks painfully good fully clothed, so Auston agonizes over that instead. 

* * *

They get coffee and breakfast sandwiches from a place Auston really likes, and eat in a park that’s particularly desert-y. Auston doesn’t think he’ll ever find Mitch’s fascination with cactuses not funny.

“I really thought they were like, a cartoon thing,” Mitch says. 

“Dude,” Auston says, “what did you think the cartoons were drawings of?” 

“I don’t know! I knew like, small ones existed? But I didn’t know that they actually looked like that.” 

“Well, they do,” Auston says. 

“They’re cool,” Mitch says. “It’s nice here. The desert’s pretty sweet, man.” 

“Yeah,” Auston says. 

“Why don’t you talk about it?” Mitch asks. 

Auston shrugs. “We play hockey.” 

“Uh, yeah,” Mitch says. “What does that have to do with it?” 

“I mean–” Auston tries to think of the best way to explain it. “Remember before the Centennial Classic? When everyone was asking me if I’d ever played outdoor hockey before?” 

“Yeah?” Mitch says, and Auston can tell that he doesn’t really get it. 

“It’s sort of like– like, you grew up in Toronto, and like, kids there play hockey, right? All the fucking time. That’s just, like, not really true here. And everyone was talking about how my background was like, different and unusual, and sometimes it was cool, but sometimes it felt like they were… questioning it? You know?” 

“Oh,” Mitch says, and then, “I don’t, but I understand, I guess.” 

“Yeah,” Auston says. 

“But you’re, like, the future of hockey,” Mitch says. “I mean, not you-you, but… I dunno. This kind of place, I guess.” 

“I mean, maybe?” Auston says. “I don’t really know. It’s a cool place to grow up, though.” 

“Yeah,” Mitch says. “What else is there to do around here?”

Auston turns to Mitch. “Don’t you have like, plans? Like, the reason you came to Arizona?” 

Mitch just shrugs. 

* * *

Mitch has no tolerance for heat, and Auston is ruthless about chirping him every time he complains.

“I grew up in Toronto,” Mitch says in Auston’s car. “We had like, actual summer, but it never got this bad.” 

“Every time I mentioned that it was cold, it became a thing, alright? Let me have this.” Auston says, even though it’s too hot even by his standards. 

“Lame,” Mitch says, but he’s smiling. 

“Alright, let’s do something you can’t do back in Toronto,” Auston says. “Wanna swim?” 

“Sure,” says Mitch. “But we do have pools in Toronto, you know.” 

“Yeah, but have you ever been swimming outside in winter?” 

“It’s summer, but fine, no,” Mitch says, laughing.  

Auston lends Mitch a bathing suit, one that’s too small for him but still too big for Mitch. His hips are, consequently, on display, Auston thinks he hasn’t paid enough attention to Mitch’s hips before, because all he can think about is holding them. 

He probably stares at Mitch for too long, but if Mitch notices, he doesn’t say anything. 

They head down to the pool, and Auston strips his shirt and jumps right in while Mitch sits on the side, dipping his feet in.  

“You swim with your wristguard?” Mitch asks 

“Yeah,” Auston says, holding up his wrist. “It’s waterproof.” 

Mitch nods. “Cool. Uh,” he gulps. ”Mine isn’t.”

“Alright,” Auston says. “You can take it off, if you want to swim.” 

Mitch’s brow furrows as he stares at his feet. Auston’s eyes flick to his wristguard, wondering what the hesitation is, a million possibilities flicking through his head. 

“I… might just chance getting it wet,” Mitch says finally. 

“Why?” asks Auston, even though he knows it’s rude to ask about wristguards, especially since Mitch has never talked about his. He can’t help it, though, because all the weird things about this trip are rushing into his brain, and he wants to know what’s going on. 

Mitch looks pained, and opens his mouth a bit before closing it again and looking away. He gulps. 

“You don’t have to tell me,” Auston says, not wanting Mitch to be miserable. 

Mitch nods. “I’m sorry,” he says, still looking at his feet, and Auston’s terrified that he fucked something up. 

“No, I shouldn’t’ve–” he swims over to where Mitch is and puts a hand on his ankle. “That wasn’t an okay question. It’s your business.” 

Mitch looks at him, finally, and his eyes are wide with something Auston can’t quite place. Then, he nods. 

“Alright,” he says, then stands up. Auston moves away as Mitch takes a few steps backwards, and then launches himself into the pool. 

Auston gets splashed, and when Mitch surfaces, he’s laughing. “Did I get you?” 

“Yep,” Auston says, hoping his voice doesn’t sound too fond and exasperated. 

Mitch smiles brightly at him, though, so Auston thinks it was fine. 

“Bet I can swim ten laps faster than you,” Mitch chirps, and Auston narrows his eyes. 

“You’re so on,” he says. 

* * *

Auston wears the same athletic-style wristguard year round, but Mitch wears a leather one whenever he can. According to Marty, his brother gave it to him before he left for London, and he’s worn it since.

In the weeks after the Bon Jovi incident, Auston had spent a lot of time staring at Mitch’s wristguard, until it became almost painful to look at, and he’d seen it get scratched, dented, and spilled on; it’s worse for wear, probably, but that’s true about a lot of things Mitch holds near to his heart. It’s never the things Mitch buys himself, either, because he tends to splurge on luxury things then get too scared to use them more than one or two times. But whenever Mitch is given a piece of his family history, he lets it get marked, lets himself get clumsy and mess it up and never loves it any less, so long as it’s his to scratch. 

Stains carry something for Mitch that Auston can only find in Arizona. 

* * *

Mitch takes his wristguard off and leaves it in Auston’s room when he showers the chlorine out of his hair.

He wants to touch it, which is dumb, because it’s not going to tell Auston what’s written on Mitch’s wrist, and it’s definitely not going to explain why Mitch is here and washing his hair with Auston’s shampoo as Auston tries and fails to not think about the fact that they’re destined to make each other happy. He wants to know if Mitch knows, or if Mitch would even suspect. It hurts that Mitch is here, leaving pieces and memories all over the place that Auston has spent so much time keeping to himself, and not telling Auston why. 

He stares and stares at it, until finally, he reaches out a finger to stroke over the clasp. He doesn’t try to look at the underside, because Mitch left that face-down, and it probably doesn’t mean anything, but Auston feels better knowing that he’s not trying to find anything that Mitch isn’t telling him. 

The water shuts off a few seconds later, and Auston yanks his hand away instinctively and walks away from the guard. Mitch emerges fully dressed a few minutes later, wearing a sweatshirt he’d brought into the bathroom with him even though it was grossly hot. 

“Hey,” Mitch nods, and then he goes over to the wristguard and holds it thoughtfully. 

“Hi,” Auston says, feeling awkward and guilty. He wonders if Mitch knows he’s touched it, even though that doesn’t make sense. “Are you hungry? It’s kind of late for lunch, but I can see if we can swing an early dinner.”

“Yeah,” Mitch says, not looking up from the wristguard. “We should. Swimming was tiring.” 

“Happens,” Auston says nonchalantly, even though he feels his palms sweating. 

“I fucked this up,” Mitch says, and it takes a second for Auston to realize that he’s talking about the guard. 

“I mean, I’m sure you can repair it,” Auston says. “Change the leather, or whatever.”

Mitch shakes his head. “No, I knew this would happen,” he says. 

“Oh,” Auston says. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Mitch says, and his voice is warm, and Auston can hear the smile in it. 

“Okay,” Auston says, feeling confused. 

“So, dinner plans?” Mitch asks, and Auston can sense the deflection in his voice as he drops the wristguard. 

“Uh, my parents should be home, my sisters might be– oh, and Nala too?” Auston says. “I think she was at the groomer.” 

Mitch turns around and lights up. “Oh my god, awesome, it’s been like, a whole day since I pet a dog,” he says. 

“She’ll like you, probably,” Auston says. “Make sure to rub her tummy.” 

Mitch nods seriously. “Good, important information. Gotta make sure I win over your dog.” 

“Planning to kidnap her?” Auston says. 

“Only if it would make her happy,” Mitch says. “So we’re eating here?” 

Auston shrugs. “Yeah, my mom and dad should be cool with it.” 

Mitch gives him a look. “You could ask them before inviting me for dinner, you know.” 

“They know you’re staying here, I’m sure they’d be fine cooking for you,” Auston says. “My mom did want to know if you were staying another night, though.” 

“Oh, shit,” Mitch says. “Sorry. I might, if that’s okay? It’s last minute, though, so I can like, stay on the couch, or keep crashing here. Don’t want to make her, like, set up your whole guest room.” 

“Fine with me if you stay here,” Auston says, happy to let Mitch sleep in his bed indefinitely.

* * *

Dinner becomes, like, a thing.

Auston’s dad grills and both his sisters cancel their plans to be there, and his mom texts him three times confirming Mitch’s dietary restrictions and preferences. 

“Hello, Mitchell,” she says when she sees Mitch, and Mitch gives her a hug. 

“Hi, Mrs. Matthews,” he says, and he sounds younger, the way people usually do around parents. “Thank you so much for having me.” 

“Of course, it’s our pleasure,” she says. 

“I’m sorry this whole visit was so last-minute,” he says. “I would have brought a bottle of wine for dinner, but I can’t buy it in the States.” 

She laughs. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re Auston’s friend, you don’t have to do that.” 

Mitch blushes, and Auston can’t help but smile. 

“So,” she continues. “What brings you to Arizona?” 

“Oh, just had a few things to take care of, and I figured I’d see Matts– uh, Auston,” he says. 

“I see,” she says, and she shoots Auston a questioning look, which he just shrugs at. “Well, if you don’t mind helping out–” 

“Of course not!” Mitch says, and then immediately follows it with, “Sorry, sorry.” 

Auston’s mom smiles. “It’s alright. But if you could help set the table, I would very much appreciate that.” 

“Of course,” Mitch says, and he kind of trips over himself as he turns around to head to the kitchen. “Thank you!” he calls over his shoulder. 

Auston’s mom raises her eyebrows. “He’s excited.” 

He blushes. “He’s a polite guy. Canadian.” 

“Right,” she says, smiling, and Auston blushes even harder as he goes to the kitchen to help Mitch grab utensils. 

When he gets there, Mitch is petting Nala, and Auston honest-to-god melts. 

“Hey!” Mitch says in a high-pitched voice. “Someone told me you like tummy rubs? Do you want one?” Nala lies down on the ground, and Mitch crouches to meet her. “Yes you do, yes you do!” 

“Aw,” Auston says, and Mitch looks up, and his cheeks are kind of pink with embarrassment, but he’s smiling. “Hey Nala,” Auston coos. “This is Mitch.” 

Nala sticks her tongue out as Mitch pets her stomach, and looks very content. 

“She likes you,” Auston determines. 

“Yeah?” Mitch says. “Awesome, I’m obsessed with her and we’re best friends.” 

“I’ll tell Marty he’s being replaced,” Auston says, and it’s so cute that he can’t not take a picture. He holds out his phone. “Smile,” he says. 

Mitch obediently looks up and flashes a goofy grin at the camera, and Nala does too, with her tongue out and everything. 

Auston would make it his wallpaper right now if he weren’t, like, actively pining after Mitch. 

“Alright, I gotta stop with the tummy rubs, okay?” Mitch says, and Nala looks up on him, confused. “I know, I’m sorry,” he says, “but I gotta set the table. It’s very important, even if you’re not eating there.” 

Nala doesn’t look any happier, but when Mitch gets up, she does too, so Auston figures she’s okay. 

“Okay, show me where the silverware is, I’m ready to set a fucking table,” Mitch says, cracking his knuckles. 

Auston laughs and shows him the drawer. 

Dinner goes well, even if Mitch is still kind of jumpy, but he’s polite and charming and honestly, Auston can’t picture his family not loving Mitch. 

“He’s a good kid,” his dad says to him after subtly calling him into the kitchen to help with the dishes.

Auston shrugs. “Yeah, I guess.” 

“Are you…” he starts, but then he stops. “We all like him.”

“Cool,” Auston says, and he can feel his cheeks heat up. 

Thankfully, his father gives him a curt nod and drops the subject. 

* * *

Mitch heads upstairs a few minutes before Auston, so when Auston walks into his room, he sees Mitch sitting on his bed, his wristguard lying beside him and Riley in his lap.

“Oh, sorry,” Mitch says, like he’s been caught. 

Auston shrugs. “She’s cute,” he says. Mitch is petting her head like she’s a real dog– or more of a cat, really– and it’s kind of a lot, but whatever. 

“Uh,” Mitch says, “can I hold her for a bit?” 

“Of course,” Auston says, and then adds, “Her name is Riley.”

“Riley,” Mitch says, holding her up close to his face. “How long have you had her?” 

“I dunno, since I was little,” Auston says. “Y’know.” 

Mitch nods. “She’s really– huggable?” He squeezes her in the crook of his arm. 

Auston smiles at that. “Yeah, she is,” he says. 

“So,” Mitch says. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.” 

Auston’s stomach does somersaults. “Alright,” he says.  

“Uh, so, this wristguard,” Mitch says, and he picks it up. The leather on it is discolored and wrinkled. “I went swimming in it.”

“You did,” Auston confirms. 

“It was a gift from my brother, and, like, a pretty big deal,” says Mitch. “When he gave it to me, I mean. He’d just met his person, and I think he was sort of, like, soulmate-obsessed. My words are, uh, not really distinctive, so I hadn’t been too big on wearing one, but I think he wanted me to have something nice.” 

Auston nods. 

“So, he gave me this, and he told me that when I met my person, I’d want to, like, rip it off? And like, destroy it? And I thought that was like, super weird. He gave me this nice wristguard, and it’s like, leather and shit, and then told me that I’d hate it one day.”

“It happens,” Auston says, trying to sound nonchalant, because he remembers that buzzing feeling of  _ off off off _ . 

The look Mitch shoots him is curious and calculating, and Auston feels like he’s being examined. 

“Yesterday, I– I yanked it off. I nearly broke the clasp, it was so fast.” 

Mitch  _ knows,  _ Auston realizes with an overwhelming sense of certainty. He knows that they’re soulmates, and Auston’s eyes go wide when he realizes it, and Mitch is staring at him. 

“Holy shit, you knew,” Mitch says. 

Auston looks at his feet and nods. 

“You– we’re–” 

“Soulmates,” Auston says. “Yeah.” 

“You already knew, you– since when?” 

“I– do you want to see?” Auston asks, his voice shaky, and Mitch doesn’t seem much better as he nods. 

His wristguard comes off easily, and he holds it out to Mitch, and Mitch’s fingers run over the words. 

“‘Take my hand,’” Mitch says, his thumb moving up and down over the vein on Auston’s wrist. 

“Do you remember?” Auston asks. 

Mitch shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I– I don’t. I don’t remember saying them.” 

“You were more, uh, singing than speaking?” 

“Singing? You mean–” Realization dawns on Mitch’s face. “Is this from the ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ thing?” 

Auston nods. “It was mid-game.” 

“It’s on camera,” Mitch says, disbelieving. “You– you fell for me then? In the middle of a game?” 

Auston had probably fallen for Mitch long before then, but. “Yeah.” 

“It’s June,” says Mitch. “That was in November, which was, what, 6, 7 months ago? Matts–” Mitch drops Auston’s wrist, and Auston pulls it back. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, and he hopes he didn’t fuck it up by telling him that, somehow. 

“No, it’s just that that’s, uh, a long time,” Mitch says. 

“It was alright, I–” 

“Did you not want me to know?” Mitch asks, and he sounds mostly curious, but Auston can sense the smallest bit of hurt. 

“No,” Auston says immediately. “I mean, I didn’t tell you, so like, kind of?  But it wasn’t– I was just sort of processing, and you didn’t seem to know, and–”

“But you did,” Mitch says. “I didn’t even know that you liked guys, or that  _ I _ liked guys _ ,  _ and you knew we were going to be soulmates.” 

Auston looks away from Mitch. “Yeah,” he says. “I’m sorry.” 

“How did you– how did it feel? When you realized?” 

“It was– I don’t know,” Auston says. “It was kind of what I expected?” 

“Were you happy?” Mitch asks. 

“I mean, I guess, but also– it’s complicated, right?” 

“Yeah,” Mitch says. 

“What about you?” Auston asks. “When– that’s why you’re here, right?” 

Mitch takes a breath and nods. “It was after that Jays game,” he says. 

“I don’t remember texting you, or–” 

“You didn’t,” Mitch says. “It was– look,” he says, rolling up his sleeve. 

_ I got you,  _ it says, and Auston recognizes his own handwriting, and he’d always know that that was how soulmarks worked, but it’s more jarring to see than he expected. 

“It was a fucking tweet,” Auston says. “Fuck.” 

“I saw it and then got on the next possible flight,” Mitch says. 

“Shit,” Auston says, letting go of Mitch’s arm. 

“I didn’t even know I was– you know, into guys, until, like, a month ago,” Mitch says. “It all kind of happened at once.”

“But you’re okay with it?” Auston asks. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Mitch says. “Sorry, I– I thought I’d be convincing you, right now.” 

“Convincing me?” Auston asks, confused. 

“Yeah,” Mitch says. “Like, I thought you wouldn’t believe me.” 

“Oh,” Auston says. He can’t imagine not believing someone when they say you’re soulmates. 

“But–  but you’ve had time to think about it, and you’re okay with it,” Mitch says. 

Auston furrows his brow at that. “I’m– I’m not just, like, okay with it,” he says. “I was like, into you. For a while. And I barely realized it when it happened because it was just– it was another thing you did, you know?” 

“What do you mean?” Mitch asks, and Auston can’t really read his tone. 

“You– like, your general you-ness? You make people feel, like, appreciated,” Auston says. “It’s sort of easy to, uh, fall for you.” 

Mitch snorts. “You’re kidding, right?” 

“No?” Auston says, a little taken aback. “What do you mean?” 

“I’m kind of a lot,” Mitch says. “And like, most people come around eventually, but I take some getting used to, you know?” 

Auston stares at Mitch, who had just won over his entire family, including his dog, and is now petting his favorite stuffed animal. He has no idea how Mitch can possibly think that anyone could  _ not  _ be in love with him. “No,” Auston says. “I liked you right off the bat.” 

“Seriously?” Mitch says. 

“Yeah,” Auston says. “I promise.” 

Neither of them says anything for a few minutes, but they’re both staring at each other, so Auston figures now is as good a time as any to lean in and kiss Mitch. 

It’s a gentle thing, just a press of Auston’s lips to Mitch’s, but he thinks it does what he wants it to. 

* * *

Neither of them really sleeps that night, even if they both crawl into bed at 9:30, unsure of what else to do. Auston desperately wants to roll over and hold Mitch, but he doesn’t really know how Mitch is feeling right now, so he doesn’t touch him, and Mitch’s breathing never quite evens out. Auston thinks he might catch an hour or two of sleep, he’s not really sure, but when Mitch turns over and makes a distinctive huff, Auston figures it’s a lost cause.

“You awake?” he whispers. 

“Yeah,” Mitch says. “What time is it?” 

Auston grabs his phone. “4AM,” he reads off. “Sunrise in a few hours.” 

“It’s so fucking hot,” Mitch says. 

“I’m sorry,” says Auston. “That why you can’t sleep?”

Mitch sighs. “No.” 

“Yeah,” Auston says. 

“I– do you want to keep talking about it?” asks Mitch. 

“Sure, but not here,” Auston says, because it’s not like they’re going back to sleep soon. 

They throw on t-shirts and shorts and end up in Auston’s car, and Auston drives them to a park, which isn’t quite secluded, but is definitely deserted for now. They climb out and begin to walk aimlessly along a path.

Auston doesn’t know if Mitch is used to not sleeping like this, but his hair is still kind of messed up, and Auston doesn’t know if he’s ever seen Mitch move so slowly and deliberately in his life. It’s quiet again, but it’s quiet with a purpose, and Auston’s fine letting the morning set in for a bit before they get to talking. 

Mitch speaks first. “I was kind of mad at you, I think, for not telling me.” 

“Oh,” Auston says. 

“I mean– I didn’t want to be, and you didn’t do anything wrong, but I kind of had to be mad for a few hours?” 

“Okay,” Auston says. “I’m sorry.” 

Mitch looks up at him and smiles a bit. “Don’t be,” he says. “I’m over it. I just wanted– fuck, I’m so tired. I said that so I could explain why it was like, awkward last night.” 

“Makes sense,” says Auston. “I’m sorry anyway, I guess.”

“If you’d told me in November, it wouldn’t have been the right call,” Mitch says. “I didn’t– I don’t know how to explain it. I was straight, or at least thought I was, and– I don’t think I would’ve been a dick about it? I just don’t think it would have been best for, like, me.” 

Auston nods. “I think the way it happened was good. I’m, like, kind of bad at feelings.” 

“Really,” Mitch says wryly. “Hadn’t noticed.” 

Auston shoves him a bit. “Shut up. I mean, I sort of– it worked differently for me than for you, I guess.” 

“Whaddya mean?” asked Mitch. 

Auston shrugs. “I kind of saw it coming,” he says. “The falling for you part, not the soulmate part, and– I don’t know. I think it took me that long to like, believe we were soulmates.” 

“Alright,” Mitch says. “But you believe it. And you– you’re into it.” 

“Yeah,” Auston says. 

“Cool, so let’s try it,” Mitch says, and he grabs Auston’s hand. 

Their fingers are interlaced, and Auston belatedly realizes that neither of them is wearing a wristguard anymore, and their words are pressed against each other. It feels sacred, somehow, to walk around like this, and also unreal this early in the morning. 

“Just– just like that?” Auston says. 

“Mmhmm,” Mitch says. “If you’re okay with that. I mean–” he starts to pull his hand away, but Auston grips it tighter on instinct. 

“No, yeah, let’s,” Auston says, and Mitch gives him kind of a goofy smile. 

“Awesome,” he says, and then he bites his lip. “I, uh, don’t know how this works.” 

“What, having a soulmate?” Auston asks. 

“No, I mean– dating a guy? If we’re dating. I mean, I’ve never done anything with a guy, and I don’t know– you know.” 

“I’m confused, are you asking me about gay sex?” 

Mitch’s eyes go wide, and he looks hilariously scandalized. “No, I was asking how to be a  _ gentleman _ . Like, who pays, who pulls out the chair when the other sits down, shit like that. Jesus, no, not asking about sex.” 

“Uh, I think it’s just whoever wants to?” Auston says, amused. “Asking about sex would’ve been so understandable. That’s a much weirder question.” 

“How’s that weird?” Mitch asks. “I want to do a good job.” 

Auston smiles at him. “Don’t sweat it. If you want to go on a date– which, uh, I want to– I’ll pay.” 

“So you know this stuff? Like, how stuff works between guys?” Mitch says. 

“Yeah,” Auston says. “Pretty much all I know.” 

“Oh,” Mitch says. “I’m– I think bi? There are a lot of words, I don’t know, I like people. I took a bunch of quizzes and they told me I was bi. But it was like, I realized I might like you, and then I sort of tried to figure it out, because– I don’t know, shit gets weird.” 

Auston laughs. “I mean, there’s not much to it? You just date, and like, figure out if you fit well together.” 

“Alright,” Mitch says. “I can do that. Let’s go on a date.” 

“Nice,” Auston says. “How does breakfast sound?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Mitch says. “Maybe after the sun rises?” 

“Why?” Auston asks. 

Mitch shrugs. “I kind of want to see it.” 

They sit down on a patch of grass, and Auston’s fully awake, but Mitch is clearly fading, and passes out with his head in Auston’s lap. It’s pretty comfortable, and Auston plays with his hair idly as he messes around on his phone until the sky goes from blue-purple to red-purple and he can hear the birds. 

“Hey,” Auston says, nudging Mitch. “The sunrise.” 

“Mmm,” Mitch says, his eyes blinking open slowly. “What’s happening?” He sounds so sleepy, and Auston smiles down fondly. 

“We’re going to watch the sunrise, then getting breakfast,” Auston says. 

“Right, right,” Mitch says. “It’s a date.” 

“Yep,” Auston says. 

“Gimme a sec,” Mitch says, sitting upright and nestling his head onto Auston’s chest. Auston puts an arm around him and rubs circles with his thumb on Mitch’s shoulder. 

The sun is halfway over the horizon when Auston looks down at Mitch, and sees that he’s fucking glowing. He inhales sharply, and Mitch looks up, blinks at him, then starts to move towards Auston, and Auston’s confused for a second before he realizes that Mitch is kissing him. 

This time it’s a real kiss, long and slow and leisurely, and they don’t pull away until it’s officially light out, and they hear footsteps in the distance. Auston realizes that on a normal day, he’d be getting up to go for a run. This isn’t a normal day, though, because Auston’s just finished kissing Mitch, and Mitch is staring at him and smiling like he’s excited and terrified and determined and overjoyed all at once. 

Auston throws his arm over Mitch’s shoulder as they walk back to the car. 

* * *

“So, we should talk about, like, telling people,” Mitch says, once he’s had two cups of coffee. He’s talking with his mouth full, and it’s kind of gross, and Auston doesn’t even mind, because he’s apparently just that lovesick.

Oh well. 

“I should tell my family,” Auston says. “I think my mom was, like, suspicious.” 

“I was trying to get them to like me,” Mitch says. 

“I could tell,” says Auston. “They already like you.” 

“They do?” Mitch says, perking up. “Awesome.” 

“Are you gonna tell yours?” Auston asks. 

“Yep,” Mitch says. Auston waits for him to say more, but he doesn’t. 

“Alright,” he says. 

“I lied,” Mitch says. “We shouldn’t talk about this now. I’m tired. Let’s just, you know,” he says, and kicks Auston under the table. 

“What, play footsie?” Auston asks. 

“Be on a date,” Mitch says. “I don’t know.” 

“What do you do on dates?” Auston asks. 

“Get to know each other?” Mitch suggests. 

“We already know each other,” Auston says. “Mostly.” 

“Exactly, we know most of each other. Let’s get to know the rest of each other,” Mitch says. “Tell me something new.” 

“You first,” Auston says. 

“Alright.” Mitch thinks for a second. “Uh, I never thought before now that my soulmate would know before I did.” 

“Why?” Auston asks. 

“Like, I don’t know,” Mitch says. “It’s like I said before, I don’t think people want me in their lives. I just sort of appear, and they adjust. Like, I pretty much start off liking everybody I meet, and they have to fuck it up for me to not like them. Most people are the opposite. I’m sort of used to liking people more than they like me.” 

“Oh,” Auston says. “That’s really good, but also, kind of fucked up?”

Mitch shrugs. “Probably, yeah.”

“I, uh, always had a feeling I’d know before my soulmate,” Auston says.

“You weren’t wrong,” Mitch says. “Why’d you think so?” 

“I don’t know. I tend to, like, have pretty good instincts when it comes to big things. Like, I’m kind of shitty at handling my feelings, but at least I know what they are.” 

Mitch laughs more at that than Auston expected him to. “Sorry,” he says. “That’s just a really good way of putting it.” 

“I do my best,” Auston says. 

“Yeah, you do,” Mitch says, and then, “I’m glad we’re soulmates.” 

“Me too,” Auston says. “Even with your weird self esteem issues.” 

“You love my self esteem issues,” Mitch says. 

“Only because they’re yours,” Auston says, and he smiles. 

“You’re a sap,” Mitch says. 

Auston shrugs. “I’ve been waiting for this for months. I think I’m allowed.” 

Mitch manages to blush and beam at Auston at the same time. 

* * *

They decide to keep it to themselves for a few days, because it still feels like something small and private and Auston doesn’t want to touch it, and neither does Mitch. The next time they wake up in the same bed, they’ve slept ten hours, and it’s Mitch who’s in Auston’s arms. Mitch, in turn, is clutching Riley close to his chest, and Auston’s hurt by the sweetness of it until he remembers he doesn’t have to be anymore. The wave of relief, of  _ yes,  _ of  _ finally  _ that rushes through him makes tears prick at the corner of his eyes.

“Hey,” Auston murmurs in Mitch’s ear. “I’m gonna go for a run.” 

“Early,” Mitch says, definitely still asleep. 

Auston smiles. “You don’t have to come.” 

“Sorry,” Mitch says, and when Auston slowly crawls out of bed, Mitch makes a dissatisfied noise and says, “miss you.”

“I’ll be back soon. Go back to sleep,” Auston says. Then, because he can, he adds “Stay cute, okay?”

“Duh, ‘m adorable,” Mitch says, then falls back asleep. 

Mitch is, in fact, still cute when Auston gets back, and Auston crawls back into bed and gets right back to spooning him after he showers. It’s kind of gross, because Auston’s all clean and dry and Mitch is kind of sticky, but he’s also warm and sweet and feels better than anything else in the world. 

Auston stays there for an hour, and he doesn’t even fall asleep, just watches as Mitch’s chest rises and falls and enjoys the way Mitch fits into him. Eventually, Mitch stirs, and blinks his eyes open, and Auston’s fixated on his eyelashes when Mitch lunges forward and kisses him, laughing and smiling and bright. 

“This is the  _ best, _ ” Mitch says, and yeah, he’s right. There’s no other word for it: they’re in love, and it’s exciting and comforting and cozy and beautiful. It’s the kind of love that puts butterflies in Auston’s stomach, but with the undercurrent of something important, undying, and unending, like Mitch is his future and his family and his world. 

“It is,” Auston says, and he leans in to kiss Mitch again. 

Eventually, they’ll have to come up for air; eventually, they’ll have to leave this bedroom and go downstairs and see Auston’s family, and they’ll have to explain to Mitch’s family why he’s in Arizona, and they’ll have to tell the team, and decide what they’re telling the media, and it will be a hassle. 

But right now, they’re lying in Auston’s bed, the sun is creeping through the blinds, and Auston doesn’t care about the rest of it, because he gets to be in love, and the rest of it doesn’t matter yet.

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't find any common triggers in this story, but of course, if you see anything, please give me a heads up!
> 
> Bonus Content:  
> -I wrote [stuff about the mechanics of this 'verse](https://lottswrites.tumblr.com/post/162297684459/soulmate-mechanics) on my fic tumblr because I knew I'd run out of room here if I tried to fit it all. There's a graph.  
> -How did I see a Twitter exchange about jorts and think, "ah yes, they're soulmates," like that's a reasonable conclusion to come to?  
> -Riley is inspired by a real-life stuffed dog, who is very floppy and huggable.  
> -I never realized just how cactus-y a cactus could be until I saw one in person. Like, the first time I ever saw a coconut, I was very much disappointed by it, because it looked nothing like pictures of coconuts I'd seen. A saguaro cactus looks a lot like you expect it to. This is what Mitch means when he says he didn't think that cacti were real.  
> -At one point, Mitch texts Dylan Strome, _i've said the word cactus like 3 times and it already sounds weird._ Dylan doesn't even blink, nor does he ask for context, just responds with, _lol yah_. He is not aware that Mitch is in Arizona.  
>  -I have a few other pairings and their words in mind in this 'verse. I probably won't write them but maybe I will? Who knows.  
> -This is a story about the American southwest and early mornings written by a northeastern night owl living in the midwest. I'm so out of my depth here. It's really a love letter to hometowns and the sunrise, though, which are things I know well.  
> -Here's a little tidbit about the Mitch in this 'verse that I firmly believe: when he was like 3, his favorite stuffed rabbit was kind of falling apart, and he was getting upset because she was so "messed up," but his mom said, "she's not messed up, she's just well loved," and that really stuck with him.  
> -Before they go swimming, Auston scours his entire house for spray sunscreen instead of the rub-in kind, because the idea of rubbing subscreen into Mitch's back it too much for him to handle.  
> -Mitch secretly takes so many selfies with Riley and at one point sends them all to Auston, who makes literal, actual, audible noises.  
> -Auston does eventually make that picture of Mitch and Nala his wallpaper. The team fines him and chirps him for all he's worth.  
> -You've heard of "there's only one bed," now get ready for: "there's more than one bed, but like, we should share this one, right? It would be rude to not share a bed. I mean, there are other beds, but there's really only this one, if you think about it."


End file.
